The present invention is directed toward a shield for eliminating smoke generated during electrocautery surgery and more particularly toward such a shield which is simple to use, which does not interfere with the operating surgeon's field of view and which is inexpensive and, therefore, disposable.
As is well known in the art, a significant amount of blood and other tissue fluids and resultant smoke and steam are often present at an electrocautery sight and are generated as a result of the electrocautery surgery. Since their presence can often render it difficult for a surgeon to see the operating sight clearly, devices have been proposed in the past for removing the fluids and smoke.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,888,928 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,307,720, for example, show electrocautery instruments having a suction tube associated therewith and located in close proximity to the cauterizing blade. While such devices may have some usefulness, they are relatively expensive. Because of this, they are intended to be reused and must, therefore, be cleaned and sterilized after each use. Furthermore, these devices are not necessarily intended to be left on at all times but are only turned on when it is desired to remove heavy accumulations of fluid or smoke. Thus, when the vacuum sources for these devices are not being operated, smoke rises and can be inhaled by the operating surgeon and others in the operating room.
It has been found that the smoke generated during electrocautery surgery may be carcinogenic and/or otherwise injurious to those who may inhale the same. To Applicant's knowledge, no one has ever proposed a simple and inexpensive device which is primarily intended to remove smoke generated during electrocautery surgery to prevent a surgeon from inhaling the same.
Gas venting devices have been proposed for removing anesthetic gases or other fumes or dust from an operating room or a dental consultation room. Such devices are shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,877,691; 4,082,092 and 4,446,861. Each of these devices shows a substantially rigid gas venting shield which is mounted at the end of a support arm so that the same can be positioned where needed. Again, however, these devices are relatively expensive and must be cleaned and sterilized after each use.
Masks have also been employed by surgeons and other operating room personnel to not only protect the patient but to also protect the operating personnel from airborne bacteria, viruses and the like. While simple cloth-filter type masks provide some benefit, they cannot prevent significant amounts of smoke and other dangerous gases from passing therethrough. Masks which include vacuum sources therein for protecting the doctor have been proposed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,747,599. Such a mask might have some practicality when there is only one doctor present during surgery but would become impractical if each person in the operating room were wearing one. Furthermore, as with the devices discussed above, the mask shown in this patent is relatively expensive and, again, must be cleaned and sterilized after each use.